Beetle Inspectors
Just had two people from USDA wanting to inspect backyard for Asian longhorn beetles. Is this legit…I was not comfortable with it and said no; they left me a form & a number to call. Anyone know about this? What consequences if I don’t follow thru?
Just had two people from USDA wanting to inspect backyard for Asian longhorn beetles. Is this legit…I was not comfortable with it and said no; they left me a form & a number to call.
Anyone know about this? What consequences if I don’t follow thru?
They are legit. They have made presentations at the community board. They have ID’s. They check and tag the trees to protect all the trees in the hood. Its a major problem. They(the beetles not the USDA employees) came here on infected wooden pallets used to transport goods.
somehow I think the alanthus will be be immune to them
haven’t you seen notices that if have refuse from cuttings/trimmings from your yard need to call city….not to put out with regular garbage.
Ok, thanks all. I also thought this was an infestation of specific trees, most commonly in the street.
The beetle threat is real and the USDA is addressing it, BUT that’s no reason not to check on the legitimacy of these particular inspectors to see if they’re REALLY from the USDA. Get their names and phone numbers and tell them you’ll call when and if the USDA verifies them.
I agree that these guys can come off as a little skeevy but if you go to the NYC.gov portal it’s actually somewhat encouraging to see that the zone of infestation hasn’t grown as much as one might have expected in recent years. Presumably this is due to the treatments so I’d say it’s important to give them access. The beetles attack hardwood trees like maples, birch, ash, and elm. Thousands of our trees have already been lost to ALB infestation and in my neighborhood (Prospect Heights) we have to arrange special pick ups of tree debris to prevent accidental spread of the disease from contaminated wood. Goodness knows what happened after the tornado with all those contractors taking out damaged trees — and odd that this issue wasn’t discussed in the press.
This is a result of globalization. It’s Bush’s fault as well.
lech – Backyard trees are at risk too.
They have been treating the monster Norway maple in my backyard for years now. They stick some kind of stake with incesticide into the ground near the roots.